by Joe Davies at Daily Mail
- Images used to prove a protein is behind Alzheimer’s may have been tampered
- Forensic imaging experts say they appear doctored to ‘better fit a hypothesis’
- Seminal paper was used as starting point for billions of pounds of research
The data behind the most influential theory of what causes Alzheimer’s disease may have been ‘manipulated’, a damning scientific probe has claimed.
Experts fear the allegedly falsified results have misled research over the last 16 years, potentially wasting billions of pounds of funding.
A six-month investigation by Science, considered one of the world’s most respected research journals, uncovered ‘shockingly blatant’ tampering of results in the seminal 2006 University of Minnesota study.
The paper pointed to a particular protein — known as amyloid beta — as the driving force behind Alzheimer’s. It was the first substance in brain tissue ever identified that seemed to be behind the condition’s memory-robbing effects.
Published in rival journal Nature, the study became one of the most cited articles on Alzheimer’s ever published…
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